In all areas, the UK continues to backtrack.

The European Union argues that we should be subject to rules of the club that we have left.

The precondition is the level playing field.

We can deliver a real Brexit that achieves our objectives.

But if there is not a deal, we still need the Irish protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain. protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain.

Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic, RTE's podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor in Brussels.

And I'm Colom O'Mongone, RTE's Deputy Foreign Editor in Dublin. Each week, Brexit Republic brings you all the latest developments in Dublin, Brussels and London.

This week, the Northern Ireland elections are off, but the British Irish romance is back on,

as Mihal Martin and Rishi Sunak donned their Kiss Me Quick hats in Blackpool.

Meanwhile, Mara Shefftiewicz, the EU's chief protocol negotiator, was in London saying that London and Brussels' positions were not worlds apart on the issues around the Northern Ireland protocol.

We'll go through in detail what those issues are and how or when both sides might start to approach a landing zone.

Spoiler, don't expect a deal wrapped up by Christmas.

And we'll hear from Ortiz political correspondent, Mihal Lahan, from Blackpool on the role

Dublin might play in any negotiations and what the Irish government's expectations are about

Rishi Sunak and the new optimism. So things very friendly, Mihal in Blackpool.

Tell us about why you were there and why Mihal Martin and Rishi Sunak appeared to be getting

on so well it was all smiles and football.

All smiles and football.

Even those kind of pre-meeting pleasantries didn't look quite as stilted as usual.

...